MY BATTLE AGAINST DYSTONIA

MY BATTLE AGAINST DYSTONIA

The convulsing never stops. The misery continues each waking moment, but I know there must be thousands all over the world baffled by their constant, uncontrollable bodily movements. Doctors are baffled, prescribe muscle relaxants to no avail.
People stare and our friends and family don’t understand this endless trial. For people of faith, this is a trying test as we cry out to God daily for relief. I can’t asleep and I pray that I’ll not wake up.

It started around March of 2006 and a month later, Dr Buck said I had Dystonia. I’m a professional performing musician, guitar player, artist and writer. My work and calling all entail speaking, singing and working with my hands.
Jerking my mouth open while hitting a high E note one day while driving was the beginning of my agonizing trial. Crack. I thought little of it at first, but a few weeks later, an unfamiliar, contraction moved my throat by the month’s end getting so bad my tempero-mandibular jaw joints became an inflamed lump on my right side. By mid afternoon, my jaw and lower face were exhausted by the constant movement. Pain and anxiety were my new companions. People would stare as my face contorted unattractively and uncontrollably.

This battle with Dystonia has been the most compelling and daunting of my life and has diminished the quality of my life more than anything I could have ever imagined.